Autumn. The worst season in the calendar for a snow slider. November and its problem child siblings September and October. The dreaded fall shoulder season. If your planning is on point, then November will be boredom at the beginning with shredding at the end. If you’re a bit behind in setting yourself up for the season November is boredom, watching your friends have fun in the snow while you wait some more. Waiting, for your pass to come through, job offers, for the snowbase to build up, then relief.

If the thought of too many relatives and Turkey is making you shudder then maybe a few days skiing before Christmas is what you need. Check out this deal from Ski Weekender to La Clusaz or Le Grand Bornand and charge your batteries before the onslaught...

It’s been a grey couple of weeks here in Chatel. Not in terms of the atmosphere - it’s getting more lively by the day as more seasonaires arrive and locals return – but the weather has been snowing or about to snow for about 10-days straight now. This isn’t a bad thing and is great news for getting the ski areas open early and for the season to come. Still, the one sunny day that we did have was a real treat and myself and the missus made sure that we made the most of it by taking the dog on an epic walk, wading through snow up to our knees!

After clearing more than a foot of snow from the car, it seemed rather traitorous to be leaving Morzine for Val D’Isere on Friday morning. Despite the big dump (and those rumours…) neither Avoriaz nor Les Gets would open this weekend. We booked through the Val D’Isere Office de Tourism and took advantage of their ‘Premier Tracks’ special offer – €129 euros per person for 2 nights based on 12 adults sharing 2 apartments on a room only basis at the Jardin des Alpins including a 2 day lift pass, free lessons on both days, free skis or snowboards for testing, free entry to an extreme skiing movie premier on the Saturday evening and complimentary access to the new ‘Oxygen’ leisure complex.

Skiing Whistler BC, Canada at least once in your life is a must. Come to think of it, with over 1190 acres of skiing across the two mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb, you’ll probably need to go more than once. The Peak to Peak Gondola, that spans the 4.4km’s between Whistler and Blackcomb, is the longest and highest lift in the world giving guests 365 degree views of the mountains and the valley, there is even one lift with a glass floor!

Spoil your family with a stay in the friendly resort of La Rosière in the French Alps. Espirit Ski is offering the Chalet Schatzi for just £224pp (was £468pp.) This chalet is enviably located at the foot of the slopes and houses a delightful, spacious interior.

With over 50cm of fresh snow in the past 72hrs the Alps is once again shaping up for a great season. One region that got hit especially hard with the new snowfall was the Paradiski and especially La Plagne. The Paradiski area offers 425km of piste to explore including the option to take the Vanoise Express Gondola across the valley to Les Arc, which gives guests incredible views of the valley hundreds of metres below. Guests can ski from the doorstep into this pisted paradise from Pierre & Vacances Premium residence Les Hauts Bois.&n

Throughout the 2014/2015 season, Val d’Isere is treating winter sports lovers to two brand new all-inclusive packages. Skiers can book 6 or 7 nights apartment accommodation on a self-catered basis, with a 6 or 7 day Espace Killy pass from £538 per person, based on 6 sharing a two bedroom apartment. For those who don’t fancy doing the cooking themselves, the same offer is available, with 6 or 7 nights of hotel accommodation with a 6 or seven day Espace Killy ski pass and one free entry to the leisure centre swimming pool from £927 per person on a half board basis.

Escape the January blues and head to the Alps for a snow-sure ski holiday. Powder White is offering great value deals on early January ski holidays with chalets in some of Europe’s top high-altitude resorts now available from just £349 per person per week.

3rd January: Chalet Hermine, Courchevel 1850

20% off skiing in Norway with Ski Safari

Trysil was recently voted "Best Ski Resort in Norway" for a second year running at the annual World Ski Awards and over the last few days has received a promising 20cm of snowfall. Located two hours north of Oslo, the majority of the accommodation options present ski-in ski-out convenience, the ski school is right on the doorstep and the mountains offer effortless blues and flattering reds on wide open slopes.